Search engine optimization (SEO) can be a nebulous field, which has lead to lots of speculation over the years. Many old “truths” persist today as myths. Let’s dispel five of the most common myths about search engine optimization.

Meta-tags rank a website

For many years, stuffing description and keyword tags was touted the key to search engine success. While helpful in the early days of search engines, they have since been depreciated almost in entirety for rankings. However, that is not to say they are without merit. Carefully written description tags can draw attention in results pages, much like a powerful advertisement would. In practice, keywords can also be used as a personal guide for outlining the emphasis of each page’s content.

SEO is a one-time endeavour

Looking back to years past, this may have once been true. Today, heightened competition and stronger interest in search marketing guarantees that optimization remains a constant process.

Flash-based websites mean terrible rankings

While partially true, there have been search-compliant methods to overcome poorly ranked Flash-based websites. Give us a shout to learn more about improving your Flash website’s rank.

The more terms I have in my content, the higher I’ll rank for those terms

Once again, this is true to an extent, but all good things are done in moderation. Little emphasis on terms leaves spiders confused about a page’s theme, while too much emphasis guarantees a spot in the spam index.

“I guarantee you the number one spot for your keywords no matter what.”

As mentioned above, search ranks are an ever-changing landscape. A number one spot is entirely plausible, but the time, skill, and effort it takes to reach that point relies on the market you want to enter. Your competitors may be entrenched and make constant headway, so ensure both you and your optimizer understand the competitive environment before settling on number one.

There are countless other myths and new theories that spring up every day. For the inside story, please contact us and we’d be happy to clear the air about search engine optimization.